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As humans, we have an innate desire to connect with other living beings, and animals have always been a part of this connection.
Whether it's the loyal wag of your dog's tail or the comforting purr of your cat as they kneed your lap, there is something about animals that draws us in and makes us feel connected.
But what is it about the human-animal bond that makes it so special? What are the actual benefits they bring to our lives?
And is there a downside and price we have to pay…
In this episode I’m joined by Dr. Doug Mader as we discuss:
What is the human-animal bond
How our relationship with our pets has changed
The health benefits of owning a pet
The detrimental impact of pets
The danger of treating pets as child-substitutes
Lessons from a life in veterinary practice
How to cope with veterinary price rises and high inflation
The art of veterinary practice
Related posts and links:
Buy “The Vet at Noah's Ark: Stories of Survival from an Inner-City Animal Hospital”
How to find a vet you can trust (and why it’s so important)
I’m on my fifth generation of dogs since I was a kid. And every time I lose one, it tears a little piece of my soul away.
But that’s just a sad part of life. And that’s something I think that we’re all willing to gamble just so that we can still have that opportunity to be with animals.
The Human-Animal Bond
What is the human-animal bond?
The human-animal bond refers to the special and unique relationship that humans share with animals, particularly with pets such as dogs, cats, birds, and others.
This bond is characterized by the emotional, social, and physical interactions between humans and animals, and is believed to be based on mutual trust, love, and companionship.
While for many this bond forms quickly, it can be further strengthened through positive experiences, such as spending time together, playing, and showing affection. The end result is that, for most pet parents, pets are not just animals, but they are also family members and companions who provide emotional support, reduce stress, and improve mental and physical health.
In fact, the human-animal bond underpins everything we do as veterinarians, with our end goal being to do everything possible to support the human-animal bond and prolong it as long as possible.
Animals as part of the family
This bond is also responsible for everything you do for your pet at home, be they a dog, cat, guinea pig, reptile, parrot, and everything in between! It can be a young girl where they're playing with her pet kitten. It can be a boy playing fetch with his dog.
90% of people that have pets consider them part of the family, and 36% of all people that have pets consider their pets as child substitutes. Just the other day (and by no means for the first time) a client confided in me that they could not have children and so their dog was like a child to them. All demonstrating how important this bond is to so many people's lives.
The Health Benefits of Owning a Pet
The human-animal bond is a mutually beneficial relationship that works both ways, meaning that we get multiple benefits from having pets in our lives.
There have been some really great studies that have been published that show the health benefits of having a pet in the house, such as having lower blood pressure, improving mood, and decreasing feelings of loneliness and depression. Additionally, interacting with animals has been shown to increase empathy and social skills in children and improve overall well-being in adults.
Another really interesting one is for people that have had heart attacks. If you've have a pet cat, you have a 40% greater chance of living a year longer than people who have had heart attacks and don't have pet cats.
Another classic benefit is that rural children who grow up with farm animals are less likely to grow up with allergies than people that live in the city. We could just go on and on and on. The benefits that pets bring to humans are just amazing.
The Negative Cost of Pet Ownership
While those are the clear and powerful positives of the human-animal bond we share with are pets, is there a cost?
Many would argue that, no, there's no negative cost.
This is forgetting the fact that out pets do not live nearly as long as we do, and this is an issue when you have a pet that is so near and dear to your heart. When it passes you go through the same five stages of grief that you would go through losing a friend or a family member.
Every time we lose a pet, it tears a little piece of my soul away.
But that's just a sad part of life. And that's something I think that we're all willing to gamble and deal with, just so that we can still have that opportunity to be with animals.
Building Resilience
That said, even this pain can help to build you as a person, as it has been shown that children who suffer the loss of a pet in their life, and that could be their pet mouse, pet goldfish, it doesn't matter what it is, are actually much more resilient and able to cope with stresses later on in life because they learn coping strategies at that stage.
It's the circle of life, and I think hiding this aspect of life from them is a big mistake. In fact, discussing the death of a pet with your child is an extremely important part of growing up and an important learning opportunity so that when things happen as you get older, you're more able to cope with them.
Never “Just a dog”
People that don't have pets don't understand this close bond you form with them.
If somebody loses a pet and then they need to take a personal day off work, sometimes their colleagues give them a hard time about it because “it's just a dog. Get another one”.
It's like, wait a minute. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. If you lost a child, you're not going to say it's just a kid. You can always have another one. And that's callous. Well, if you lose a pet, it's just as significant to many people as is losing a child.
The Harm of Treating Pets as Children
One question I've been thinking about recently is, is there actually a potential negative to the health of our pets because of this strong bond, because of how we treat them as family, as little people?
I'm thinking here in terms of the way that we mollycoddle them, we're overfeeding, and maybe some of the stimulation that we're giving to our pets.
It's quite complex. So let me break it down into some of the parts. I don't think we can over-show affection. That's just my own opinion.
Where we get into trouble is whith nutrition and that's where the people who have their spaghetti dinner and they have something left over or they make a little extra for Fido.
Last thing in the world we should be doing is feeding our pets people food. Obesity is a huge problem in pets, whether it's dogs and cats, tortoises, birds, anything. We have a tendency to over feed them. And that's not good just like it isn't good for for for people.
There have been some several really good studies published in the veterinary journals how keeping a dog lean can add a year or more to their life. Just by keeping them trim and fit.
So it's not a problem giving them “too much affection” as long as it's the right kind of affection. And this comes from recognizing them as the species that they are rather than the human substitute and providing for their species specific needs.
You don't have to give a dog treat to reward them. Dogs are perfectly happy with a pat on the head and an attaboy. And a lot of the time they'd actually probably prefer that if they're not getting that interaction with you and we're using treats and food because we're time-poor.
The Vet at Noah’s Ark
We've spoken about all creatures great and small, and that's a really nice segue into your book “The Vet at Noah's Ark”. It's been described as the James Herriot of America. And while there's a big difference the North Yorkshire Dales and gritty urban LA, perhaps there's not such a big difference in the stories and the people that you were seeing.
The common thread is the human animal bond. The same stories that he had with his clients 70 years ago I have with my clients today. It's the woman who feeds her dog too much, or it's the client who doesn't want to pay their bill or it's you stay up all night long trying to save the horse, and no matter what you do, it dies.
It's the same stories, they're ever true. And it doesn't matter what country or where or what part of town or what race, what nationality, what religion you are. People love their pets and people have the same issues and that same bond for sure.
Providing Healthcare as Costs Climb
Our current situation is the cost of living across the world is climbing. We've also got a situation where in veterinary medicine, the gold standard care is improving but the cost of providing that this “top level” care is also climbing.
So many people are struggling to afford the care that they would perhaps want for their pet or they aspire to. So how can people navigate thisvery challenging situation that we find ourselves in?
And that's an extremely important point. There are people who want to do everything they can for their pet but can't necessarily afford it. And then they have that guilt. And you shouldn't feel that but it’s real. Everybody feels it, but it's certainly something that you shouldn't be ashamed of.
Pet Insurance
Pet insurance is one thing we are recommending a lot now. There are something like 22 pet insurance companies in the USA. And it's like a buffet line. You can go in and you can get the salad, you can get the salad with the ham, or you can get the salad with the macaroni.
There's a whole menu of options that are available from basic accident coverage, or illness coverage, or accident and illness coverage, all the way up to well care plans which cover vaccines, spays and neuters, normal dentistry.
If you have pet insurance, it might mean the difference between Can I get my dog fixed that's in heart failure or was hit by a car? Or do I have to say goodbye and make that tough decision?
Addressing guilt
People shouldn't feel guilty. I think of the level of care that people are providing for themselves. I think of dental care, I read about the cost of insulin and diabetics struggling to provide for their own care needs.
And my personal opinion is that we can't expect our pet parents to be able to provide in every single situation the level of care that actually they're not able to afford for themselves.
The concept of guilt goes both ways because it's also difficult on veterinarians because we're trained to offer the Mercedes-Benz level of care. We can't profile your clients just because they come in and they've got dirty clothes and they drive an old car. You can't just automatically assume they can't afford care.
So we have to offer everybody the best possible care, and that can mean sticker shock.
Fido is walking with a head tilt. We may want to consider doing an MRI or a CT scan. How much is that? Well, that's X number of dollars. I can't afford that. So we have to be able to work with. Our clients and our pets. Okay. Okay, fine. You know, you can't afford the CT scan. I completely understand it. But here are some other options that we have that aren't going to be as expensive. They may not be able to give us the same answers, but we can work with that.
I've been a veterinarian for a long time and I've seen this a number of times. So let's skip this step and go right to here. You just have to trust my experience on this one.
So we do have to work with them. And again, for me, again, when I wake up in the morning, my goal is to do everything I can to promote that human bond and make it last as long as possible. And sometimes it means you have to kind of take detours. But the goal is the same goal and that is to keep things going for sure.
And I think that that to me speaks of the art of veterinary medicine, the elusive art of veterinary medicine, that is helping pet parents navigate this very difficult journey when this bond is so strong and you want to do as much as you can, but there are different competing elements to that as well.
Full Transcript →
The following is an AI generated transcription of the above podcast episode:
Dr. Alex: Dr. Doug, welcome along to the show. I'm really delighted for you to be joining us today.
Dr. Doug: Thank you so much. I really appreciate the invitation. It's an honor to be with you.
Dr. Alex: And Dr. Doug. You are someone who has achieved an awful lot in your lifetime and still much more to come. I'm sure your triple board certified veterinary specialist. And so we could be diving into all manner of different medical conditions and weird and wonderful things from from a health point of view.
But I guess today we're really going to be talking a lot about a concept that actually kind of underpins everything that we do as vets, but also everything that our listeners and our viewers will do for their pet pet family at home. And that's the human animal bond.
Dr. Doug: Absolutely. You know, people always ask me why, why I became a veterinarian. And at the time I decided to become a veterinarian. I didn't understand the concept or I didn't even know if Leo Bustard even came out with the term human animal bond. But for me, it's always been about that bond that people have with their pets, and now we know what it's called.
And honest to God, the reason I wake up in the morning, my goal, my number one goal is to do everything I can to support the human animal bond and prolong it as long as I possibly can.
Dr. Alex: Yeah. So what I guess, what is the human animal bond? I mean, it's that relationship between people and their their animals. But is there more to it than that? What is it in in a nutshell?
Dr. Doug: In a nutshell, that's a pretty tough one. In a Reader's Digest or Cliff Notes version. I mean, the human animal bond is basically the American Veterinary Medical Association has a very specific definition for it, and it has to do with the relationship between people and animals, and it has to be reciprocal. We give to the animals. Animals give back to us. But the reality is the human animal bond can be any number of things.
It can be a young girl where they're playing with her pet kitten. It can be a boy playing fetch with his dog, or it can be birdwatchers out watching an eagle nest and they see the eagles fly in and build a nest, lay the eggs, the eggs hatch, the eggs, the hatchlings fledge and fly away. And there's a bond there. So there's not a lot of give and take. But there is because we enjoy watching the birds and the birds give back to us by an appreciation of nature. So the human animal bond is is really a huge umbrella in in my world that I live in. I have an unusual background. I'm triple aborted.
And one of the things I boarded in is, is canine and feline practice. So that little young lady with her kitten or the boy playing fetch with his dog is extremely important to me. But I'm also boarded in zoo medicine. And so that eagle, you know, if it gets shot or hits a power line and breaks a wing and I can put it back together again and release it back to the wild, I've promoted that human animal bond. So it's like I say, it's a little bit of everything.
Dr. Alex: Yeah. So for people who are, I guess, primarily pet parents that we're talking about today, it's that it's the fact that we call them pet parents as well. That's that's the progression of that human animal. Bond Guess.
Dr. Doug: Well, it's yeah, again, it's really interesting too. If you look at the literature, I've seen numbers as high as 90% of people that have pets consider them part of the family. And I've tried to track down where that number came from. And it's one of those things where everybody quotes everybody else. But the AVMA did a really good survey a few years back where they sent out thousands of of questionnaires and 36% of all people that have pets consider their pets as child substitutes. So, I mean, that's pretty significant how important that bond is.
Dr. Alex: Yeah, it's huge. I mean, think of just the other day I saw someone in my clinic and they people get very vulnerable with us in the consult room as well, don't they? And you know, they they said to me, well, we couldn't have children. And so my dog is is my child. And. Absolutely. And the care that they were providing was equivalent to that. And it's it's it's amazing what people will do for for their pets.
But has that has that changed over time? Has the human animal bond strengthened? If I'm thinking in terms of the role that our pets have in our lives, has that always been the case or is it becoming more prevalent that people are seeing them as family, do you feel?
Dr. Doug: I think so. And I think COVID really put a big push on that because it forced people to stay home, which increased that human animal bond time. And so people spend a lot more time around their pets. It was really interesting digressing momentarily because I'm also in practice like you are. And our numbers, our client numbers actually shot up because people were home with their pets more and they started noticing things that they didn't see when they were at work all day long.
And all of a sudden it's like, oh my gosh, Fido has a, you know, a bump on his ear or, you know, Sophie is limping. And I never noticed that before. And so our, our our actual client visits increased with the human with with COVID. So I do think it has picked up. And now that people are going back to work, that bond is still there. And so now we're seeing some interesting side effects from that.
And that is a lot of species more more so dogs and cats have what's called separation anxiety. And I'm sure you've seen similar I have a whippet and they're like the classic if you look up separation anxiety, that poor guy, when I leave for work, he gets so freaked out. And you know, having been home quite a bit and working from home and then now going back to work, he gets really stressed out. So but I do think it's become more important because, um, you know, the world is changing and things are getting expensive and pets don't really cost a lot other than their basic care. You don't have to take them to ballgames.
You don't have to go on fancy vacations with them. They're perfectly happy going for a walk down the street with you at the end of the day and if you've had a crappy day. You know nothing better than having that pet wag the tail when you walk in the door. You know?
Dr. Alex: Yeah, for sure. So I guess, you know, and that goes back to it being a mutually beneficial relationship that that bond works both both ways. What kind of benefits do people get from having pets in their lives?
Dr. Doug: Wow, We don't have time for all of that. I mean, there have been some really great studies that have published that show that pets. Lower blood pressure, for instance. A really interesting one I just read was that children that grow up with pets are less likely to have, um, people that have had heart attacks. If you've had a pet cat, you have a 40% greater chance of living a year longer than people who have had heart attacks and don't don't have pet cats. I mean, I could just go on and on and on.
The medical benefits are pretty impressive. And another classic one are and maybe where you live, people that live in rural areas that have farm animals, children are less likely to grow up with allergies and people that live in the city. So it's I mean, it's just the benefits that pets bring to humans are just amazing.
Dr. Alex: Yeah. Is there a negative cost to treating them as family or believing that they are family or them being our family?
Dr. Doug: You know, my sister is a marriage family and child counselor, and she would argue that, no, there's no negative cost. And you know what I've read and the people that I've talked to, the courses that I've taken, um, I guess the only thing that. That might be an issue is when you have a pet that is so near and dear to your heart. When it passes, you go through the same stages of grief, the same five stages of grief that would use if you went through losing a friend, a family member, something like that. And so, yeah, that hurts.
I mean, I'm sure you've had pets that have passed away in your lifetime. I'm I'm in my mid 60s. I think I'm on my fifth generation of dogs since I was a kid. And every time I lose one, it tears a little piece of my soul away, you know? But that's just a sad part of life. And that's that's something I think that we're all willing to gamble just so that we can still have that opportunity to be with animals.
Dr. Alex: Yeah. Mean you don't. You don't get all the good times without having a you know that potential downside is, is the payment for all of that benefit that they bring to our lives. I guess, you know thinking of children and allergies. But I've also read that children who suffer the loss of a pet in their life and that could be their pet mouse, you know, pet goldfish. It doesn't matter what it is, actually a much more resilient and able to cope with stresses later on in life because they kind of learn those coping strategies at that stage.
Dr. Doug: Absolutely. I mean, you know, it's it's the circle of life. And I think teaching children that when they're young and hiding it from them, I think is a big mistake. And teaching it when they're young as as bitter of a pill as it may be to swallow. I think it's an extremely important part of growing up and learning so that when things like happen like that happen, as you get older, you're more able to cope with it. Yeah, for sure.
Dr. Alex: Yeah. We we had a couple of guinea pigs and we actually lost one of our guinea pigs over over the New Year period. And my daughter was, was, was devastated. And to see her going through that was, you know, it was not very nice. But I know that, you know, it's a very valuable lesson for her. And in in a way, it was a good a good reminder for me of the, you know, the value that all creatures, great and small, have have in our life. And, um, yeah, as difficult as that, that was. But yeah, it is what it is, I guess.
And I guess the other thing I've read is that actually people will grieve their pet more strongly than some family members. In a lot of cases.
Dr. Doug: That's true. And we're it becomes real difficult is. People that don't have pets don't understand that. So if somebody loses a pet and then they need to take a personal day off work, sometimes their colleagues give them a hard time about it because it's just it's just a dog. Get another one. It's like, wait a minute. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. If you lost a child, you're not going to say it's just a kid. You can always have another one.
And that's callous. Well, if you lose a pet, it's just as significant. It is to many people is losing a child. And so, yeah, that can be difficult. Yeah, for sure. But you brought up a point, so let me just share this with you. And actually maybe I brought it up about having on the fifth generation of Pets of Dogs, I'm still on my first generation of bird and first generation of tortoise. I mean, really, reality is I've got one pet tortoise named Tracy. I think she's 57, and I fully expect I'll have to find a home for her when I'm long gone. So, yeah.
Dr. Alex: She might be saying she's on her second or third generation of human.
Dr. Doug: Of humans. Exactly right.
Dr. Alex: I'm thinking then of the just kind of how we can care for our pets and how this this bond affects the care for our pets. I wonder and this is something that I've been thinking about recently, is there actually a potential negative to the health of our pets because of this strong bond, because of treating them as family, as little people?
And I'm thinking here in terms of the way that we maybe mollycoddle them, we're overfeeding and the obesity epidemic and maybe some of the stimulation that we're giving to our our pets. Is that something that you, you know, you think about or. Um, yeah. Comments on that. Yeah.
Dr. Doug: Actually, that's a really good question, but it's quite complex. So let me break it down into some of the parts. I don't think we can over show affection. Um, that's just my own opinion. Yeah. Where we get into trouble is when nutrition and you brought that up and you hit that nail right on the head and that's where the people who have their spaghetti dinner and they have something left over or they make a little extra for Fido.
Last thing in the world we should be doing is feeding them people food. You know, obesity is a huge, huge problem in pets, whether it's dogs and cats, tortoises, birds, anything. We have a tendency to over feed them. And that's not good just like it isn't good for for for people. Um, I mean there have been some several really good studies published in the veterinary journals how keeping a dog you know if you use the scale of 1 to 9, one being super skinny, nine being morbidly obese and five is perfect if you keep a dog around a 4 to 4 and a half, you can add a year or more to their life by just keeping them trim and fit. You know, it's the same thing with people.
And then the other thing that we see and it's from my perspective, wearing one of my other hats, not dogs and cat hats with exotic pets, is that we have a tendency to feed them the way we think they should eat as opposed to what they actually really should be eating. And the pet that comes to mind right away and I should put that word in quotation marks, are people who keep primates as pets. So let me preface that by saying I do not endorse keeping primates as pets, but people that do tend to make them child substitutes and tend to feed them as humans. And man, they all get overweight and they all are getting diabetic. So yes, we can definitely hurt them by loving them too much.
Dr. Alex: Yeah. So but it's just a way of not giving them too much affection as long as it's the right kind of affection. And we recognizing guess it comes from recognizing them as the species that they are rather than the human substitute and providing for their species specific needs.
Dr. Doug: Right. And you know what? People forget that you don't have to give a dog a dog treat, um, to reward them. Dogs are perfectly happy with a pat on the head and an attaboy, you know? And I love you, you know, and that that's all they need. That's all they want. They just want that attention. And so every time you go and throw them a dog bone. Yeah, they love it. Of course they do. But it's not good for them. But the attaboys are great for them and the attaboys are going to keep them healthy.
Dr. Alex: Yeah. And a lot of the time they'd actually probably prefer that if, if they're not getting that that stimulation, that interaction with you and we're using, we're using treats and food because we're time poor and we're busy and, and we're not giving love that attention.
Dr. Doug: Yeah, that's a great term. Yeah, you bet.
Dr. Alex: Yeah. So guess we've spoken about all creatures great and small. And that's a really nice segue into into your book that you've got there. Um, the vets at Noah's Ark, because, you know, you've been it's been described as kind of the James herriot of, of America and maybe bringing that story up to date. That's a James Herriot has a series of books. If you've not read them, that is definitely well worth a read. They're fantastic but they're about a vet in in Yorkshire at the start of the previous century and and life in practice, which has changed an awful lot.
And from the green kind of you know North Yorkshire dales to really the. The gritty urban area in LA where you were practicing. There's a big difference there, but perhaps there's not such a big difference in the stories and the people that you were seeing.
Dr. Doug: You know it. Thank you for bringing that up. One of the most humbling comments that I've received from the literary critics is that the Noah's Ark is the first American James herriot, which to me is the ultimate compliment because, I mean, that's why I got into veterinary medicine when I was in high school. I was a blacksmith and I was working with veterinarian. And he he gave me this book called All Creatures Great and Small and, you know, obviously written by James Herriot.
And James Herriot is just a phenomenal storyteller, just the consummate writer. And I read the book and I just like, oh, my God, I just need to read more. And then I found out he had a whole series. So I read the whole series. And that's definitely what sealed the deal for me and why I went to veterinary school. And I was kind of hoping one day that I would be able to do a James Herriot. And so it's taken me 40 years, but now I've got lots of great stories under my belt and I've been writing for the last 40 plus years, and I was able to pen this version of it.
Dr. Doug: And what's really interesting, you brought up the point, you know, the common thread is the human animal bond. And I've gone back and reread some of his books. And now here in the United States, PBS, which is public broadcasting stations, they've done a series and they actually have a TV show now called All Creatures, Great and Small. And it's kind of fun to watch because the same stories that he had with his clients 70 years ago I have with my clients today, you know.
It's the woman who feeds her dog too much or it's the client who doesn't want to pay their bill or it's the you know, you stay up all night long trying to save the horse, and no matter what you do, it dies. And that's that. That's just it's the same story. Is there forever. They're ever true, you know, And it doesn't matter what country or where or what part of town or what race, what nationality, what religion you are. People love their pets and people have the same issues. You know that same bond for sure.
Dr. Alex: I think we all have our own tricki woo that we can think of and the like. And if you've read the book, you'll know. You'll know who that is.
Dr. Doug: Oh, absolutely.
Dr. Alex: Yeah. And I mean, I guess you saw, you know, a real diverse range of, of society. I practice in an area where, again, we see, you know, the very wealthy people to people who are really struggling to provide the bare necessities for their own life. And but but that doesn't affect the care that they well, the care that they want to give their pets. And actually, I find sometimes the people with less want to do the most. Um, but that bond is still the same.
Dr. Doug: Yeah. Well, where we were, we were kind of in a really unique place in the city. And I mean literally on the cusp between an extremely affluent neighborhood and then the one of the worst parts of the inner city. And the governor of California at the time was one of my clients. And then I had people that would come into my practice and they could barely afford shoe shoes for their children, but they would want everything they could do for their, you know, that was necessary to save their pets.
And I guess you could call me a bad businessman, because I can honestly say in my lifetime I've never turned anybody away. And if somebody really wants to make an effort to take care of their pets, I would do everything I could, no matter what it costs to try and help them do that. And I mean, there were people who would give away $5 of their paycheck every week just to try and pay off their vet bill. And, you know, again, it's that's how important animals are to people.
Dr. Alex: Yeah. Yeah. Have you got like seeing, you know, seeing that? And I'm thinking that, you know, our current situation is the cost of living across the world is climbing. You know, the costs of everything is climbing. We've also got a situation where in veterinary medicine, the gold standard care is is climbing. But the cost of providing that that top level best in inverted commas, care is also climbing.
So many people are struggling to afford the care that they would perhaps want for their pet or they aspire to. Have you got any, you know, thoughts that would maybe help people kind of navigate this, you know, very challenging situation that we find ourselves in?
Dr. Doug: I do. And that's an extremely important point. And I think, as you said, there are people who want to do everything they can for their pet but can't necessarily afford it. And then they they have that guilt. Yeah. And they shouldn't feel that, you know, it's you never want to have to you never want to put a person in a position where they have to feel guilt because they can't provide the proper care.
We have always in my practice made it a point to try and work with everybody, whether it's through credit funds or we have several what we call angel funds, which are nonprofit organizations that help out people in need. We help people with getting funds on the Internet. So that guilt thing is something. That's real. Everybody feels it, but it's certainly something that you shouldn't be ashamed of.
The thing that we're pushing a lot now here in the States is pet insurance. I don't know if they offer that where you live, but I think the last I just did an article on it and the last count, there were like 22 pet insurance companies. And it's a whole it's like a buffet line. You can go in and you can get the salad, you can get the salad with the ham, or you can get the salad with the macaroni.
Dr. Doug: I mean, there's a whole menu of options that are available from basic accident coverage or illness coverage or accident and illness coverage all the way up to, well, care plans which cover vaccines, you know, spays and neuters normal dentistry. So there's a whole variety of things out there and. I am encouraging every my hospital encourages every client that comes in now to get pet insurance because it's like anything else.
I live in the Florida Keys. I live on an island. Okay? I've been paying into hurricane insurance for the last 30 years. And a couple of years ago we got hit by a hurricane. You know, I would rather pay it and never, ever have to cash in on it. But it's nice to know that it's there and when you need it. Pet insurance is the same way. If you have the pet insurance, it might mean the difference between Can I get my dog fixed that's in heart failure or was hit by a car? Or do I have to say goodbye and make that tough decision? So I'm really encouraging people now to get pet insurance. I think it's a real smart move.
Dr. Alex: Yeah, I completely agree. I mean, coming from the UK where pet insurance is actually really very popular and think in the last clinic I worked at was probably about 50% plus of clients and it is, yeah. And it's slowly making making inroads here in New Zealand as well with you know I think ten years ago people looked at me funny when I said pet insurance and now everyone's heard of it. They certainly don't have it by any means. But you know, that conversation is coming and it's got a great role.
But I love that that that talk of guilt and, you know, people shouldn't feel guilty. And I think, you know, the level of care that people are providing for themselves if think of dental care, you know, I read about the cost of insulin over in the states and diabetics struggling to provide their care. We you know, my personal opinion is that we can't expect our pet parents to be able to provide in every single situation the level of care that actually they're not able to afford themselves sometimes as well.
Dr. Doug: Right? Yeah. So the concept of guilt goes both ways because it's also difficult on veterinarians because, you know, we're trained to offer the Mercedes-Benz and. You can't profile your clients just because they come in and they've got dirty clothes and they drive an old car. You can't just automatically assume they can't afford care.
So we have to offer everybody the best possible care, and that can be sticker shock. Okay. You know, Fido is walking with a head tilt. We may want to consider doing an MRI or a CT scan. How much is that? Well, that's X number of dollars. I can't afford that. So we have to be able to work with. Our clients and our pets. Okay. Okay, fine. You know, you can't afford the CT scan. I completely understand it. But here's some other options that we have that aren't going to be as expensive. They may not be able to give us the same answers, but we can work with that.
I've been a veterinarian for a long time and I've seen this a number of times. So let's skip this step and go right to here. You just have to trust my experience on this one. So we do have to work with them. And again, for me, again, when I wake up in the morning, my goal is to do everything I can to promote that human bond and make it last as long as possible. And sometimes it means you have to kind of take detours. But the goal is the same goal and that is to keep things going for sure.
Dr. Alex: And I think that that to me speaks of the art of veterinary medicine, the elusive art of veterinary medicine that, you know, that James Herriot was a master of. And I'm sure the stories in your book show that you are as well, is helping navigate this very difficult journey when this bond is so strong and, you know, you want to do as much as you can, but there's different competing elements to that as well.
Dr. Doug: But it sure can be difficult.
Dr. Alex: Yeah. Fantastic. Well, Dr. Doug, this has been a wonderful conversation. Where can people go to to get your book or to find out more about the wonderful work that you do?
Dr. Doug: I have several social media sites if you're interested in getting my book. My website is ww.com so it's real simple. Amazon sells the book worldwide. I don't know about New Zealand, but I do know that they're selling it in Australia so I suspect it's probably the same. Um, so those are two sources to get the book. And then I also have a Facebook page, Douglas Mader and then an Instagram page. Doug Mader And you can kind of follow along and enjoy my travels and my work with dogs and cats and kangaroos and alligators and a little bit of all the stuff I do.
It's a lot of fun. I love being a veterinarian. I love what I do and I love sharing it with people.
Dr. Alex: Fantastic. It really is All creatures, great and small. Thank you so much for your time, Dr. Doug. I'll leave all of those links in the show notes for everyone listening so that they can order their copy of the book and follow along and whatever whatever platform they prefer. So thank you so much for your time today. It's been wonderful to chat again.
Dr. Doug: It's such an honor to be with you and thank you for the invitation and I look forward to visiting you down in New Zealand someday.
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